When I Grow Up
by Person4
Summary: Before Kairi ever comes into their lives, Sora and Riku discuss the future.


Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square-Enix. None of the characters or setting belong to me, I'm just playing for a while.

• • • 

"When _I_ grow up," Sora said to Riku one day out of the blue while rowing to their play island, "I'm gonna be a pirate!"

Riku gave him a considering look, then said, "I thought you were gonna be a superhero."

"Well... I'll be both!" Sora grinned happily. "It's a secret identity, right?"

"You can't be _both_. Pirates are bad guys, an' superheroes are good guys. You'd have to be a _supervillain_."

"Nuh-uh! See, I'll capture people an' take their treasure an' stuff during the day, than at night I'll change into my superhero clothes an' rescue them from my crew an' give them back their stuff!" Sora hopped to his feet, ignoring the way it made his rowboat shake, and swung one of his oars around wildly. "It'll be _so cool!_ I'll get to have awesome sea battles everyday! _Arrr,_ no one can beat Captain Sora!" He swung the oar around in a circle and struck a heroic pose with it. "Pirate scum, unhand those people!" He lunged forward, stabbing at the air, then shouted as all the movement finally made the boat tilt sideways and dump him in the water.

Riku fell backwards in his own boat, laughing at Sora as he came sputtering back to the surface. "You can't be a pirate if you can't even stay in your boat, Sora!"

Sora pouted, and squirted a mouthful of water at Riku. "I bet I'd be a better captain than you!"

"Oh yeah?" Riku sat up again, wiping the water off his face, and snagged the oar Sora wasn't still holding onto before it could float away.

"Yup! Just wait until I get back in my boat, an' I bet'cha a _zillion_ munny I can beat you to shore!"

"You're on!" Riku rowed around to the side of Sora's boat and held it steady while Sora climbed in the other side, resisting the urge to bounce with excitement at the prospect of the race. It would make him look _dumb_ if he accidentally tipped himself over just like Sora had. Once Sora was settled and they'd pushed their boats away from each other, Riku flashed him a cocky grin. "Ready to lose?"

Sora grinned back. "Nope, but I hope you are!" And then they were off, conversation ceasing as they each concentrated on getting to the island as fast as possible.

Sora reached the dock mere inches in front of Riku and leaped onto it, darting onto the beach. "I won! Mighty Captain Sora, Pirate King!" He jumped up and down a few time, pumping his fists in the air, before flopping to the sand panting from the exertion of the race.

"I bet Mighty Captain Sora wouldn't have made it if he'd stopped to tie up his boat! Better be happy I did it so it wouldn't float off," Riku said as he joined him on the beach, but he didn't really sound upset about losing. "Why d'you wanna be a pirate anyway? I think it'd be better to be a _normal_ sailor. We could just go all around the islands, an' not have'ta stop to fight people all the time."

"'Cause, my mom's been reading me this book about them, an' they're the coolest things _ever!_ It's like, you scurvy dogs! I'll send you to Davy Jones's locker! Walk the plank!" Sora flopped over onto his stomach and let one arm flop companionably over Riku's chest. "An' you'll be my first mate, who gets to share all the booty! But sometimes you can mutiny, an' then _you'll_ be the captain an' _I'll_ be the first mate. Then we can see whatever it is _you_ wanna see."

"I want to see _everything,_" Riku replied, smiling happily at the thought.

"Okay, than we'll see that! An' look, I already have some booty for us to share!" With his free hand Sora fumbled two pieces of candy out of his pocket, sticky and partially melted from their trip into the ocean. He pressed one into Riku's hand and popped the other into his own, happily ignoring the bits of pocket lint clinging to it. "Half the treasure for you, an' half for me. That's what it'll always be like when we're grown up!"

"Right, 'cause that's what best friends do," Riku said, deciding to just accept that piracy way in his future if that was what Sora really wanted. "'Til you switch to being a superhero an' give all the treasure back, anyway."

"Well, duh."


End file.
